With a master's in Applied Psychology and a doctorate in Inclusive Education, and over 25 years of experience in both areas of specialization, Dr Bhavana Nair has had the opportunity to support students from multi-cultural backgrounds by following a solutions-focused approach. This has enabled her to help learners process emotions, navigate challenges in life, and cope with everyday stressors to integrate themselves into the educational system. Her counseling ethics involve empathy, unconditional positive regard, confidentiality, and non-judgment as cornerstones for students who reach out to be empowered. As a licensed psychologist, her areas of specialization lie predominantly in managing anxiety and depression, which seem to be on the rise post-pandemic. She relies heavily on evidence-based mindfulness techniques to help students understand the importance of staying grounded in the present moment to become more aware of their thinking patterns and triggers. Her academic pursuits include conducting and publishing research around well-being, perceptions, resilience, mindfulness, and stress and creating content for workshops and wellbeing modules within the curriculum. Success in setting up counseling departments over the past 10 years in university settings has given her the confidence to manage and handle the different functions of the counseling office. Naturally extroverted, her personality enables her to enjoy being with people, which is an advantage as it is an integral part of her profession. Her love for reading and traveling takes her places (quite literally!), and she believes in the power of lived experiences for self-growth. Her favorite quote is, ‘Ships are safe in the harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for,’ which inspires her to stretch her comfort zones and support others to do the same.

Tisha currently works at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) as the Associate Director of Student Recruitment. Her main responsibilities include international student recruitment, educational partnerships, short-term programs, and marketing. Prior to this role, Tisha worked at the university leading Saudi graduate recruitment and development efforts. Tisha is excited to continue highlighting the rapid growth taking place within Saudi Arabia and the educational opportunities available.